SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Saratoga Beer Week came back strong in 2014 with a powerhouse lineup from all of the best venues in the city.

Practically every bar and restaurant did something special as the appreciation of delicious well-crafted beer continues to cement its roots in the Saratoga dining and entertainment scene.

“If you’re not doing good things with beer and you just do the macro stuff, you’re going to get left by the wayside,” Boca Bistro General Manager Eric Ploof said. “There’s a lot of good beer out there.”

Boca Bistro was among the handful of restaurants and bars that looked to Dogfish Head Brewery to amp up their beer menu last week, offering a handful of Dogfish selections including the renowned 90-minute IPA and its India Brown Ale. The Delaware brewery is known for a diverse selection of quality beers ranging from lighter pilsners to richer thick stouts.

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Saratoga City Tavern stormed out of the gates last week by adding a variety of both popular and rare Dogfish Head selections to its selection of more than 100 drafts. One powerful choice that immediately jumped off the menu was the World Wide Stout, with 18 percent alcohol by volume, which was masked by the beer’s smoothness and flavor. Unlike some high-caliber beers, the World Wide Stout is dominated by a complex mixture of rich flavors including dark fruits and chocolates, coffee and a generous amount of barley that make the beer incredibly drinkable.

Several Dogfish selections at City Tavern deserve attention, such as the My Antonia imperial pilsner, which deviates from the usual pilsner and creates higher ABV and showcases a well-balanced taste of citrusy, spicy flavors and hops. Another Dogfish pilsner twist was the Czech-style Piercing Pils at 6 percent ABV — a subtly hopped, golden, highly-rated pilsner.

Some more notable Dogfish selections are Theobroma, Rhizing Bines, Hellbound and Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, a high-quality imperial stout.

The Local Pub and Teahouse on Grand Avenue also furnished an assortment of Dogfish beer, including Palo Santo, a very unique and tasty American Brown Ale brewed in Paraguayan Palo Santo wood barrels that give the brew its distinguished caramel and vanilla notes. The Local also brought in its Sah Tea, Theobroma chile beer and Burton Baton, an awesome IPA selection that was also made available last week at Henry Street Taproom and Boca Bistro.

On Friday, The Local showcased Michigan-based Bell’s Brewery’s Kalamazoo stout, a very rich dark beer with a brown creamy head. This full-bodied stout tastes as sweet as it smells, with notes of coffee and dark chocolate. The Local also offered a hoppy, piney variation in the Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, a refreshing American IPA with great presentation in its pour, lacing and color and an equally balanced taste.

Throughout the week, The Local also featured a draft and cask batch of an incredibly rich chocolate raspberry stout collaboration from Adirondack and Saratoga breweries.

In terms of beer appreciation and good education for aspiring beer geeks, Henry Street Taproom took center stage, offering the best variety of craft beer courses throughout the week by pairing different beers with complementary menu items and bourbons.

Among breweries showcased at HST were Bell’s, the New York-based Captain Lawrence, Grimm Brewery out of Brooklyn and Oskar Blues Brewery from Colorado.

On Saturday, HST held its annual Oskar Blues and Oysters class pairing four different beers with different oysters over the approximate two-hour course.

“This is one of our best classes every year,” Taproom co-owner Ryan McFadden said. “Oskar is a great brewery and we’re always excited to have them come back.”

Customers learned the history and brewing process of each beer from Oskar’s Northeast sales manager, Brendan McLane, including the G’Knight Imperial Red Ale currently featured on draft. G’Knight is a well-balanced, amber, medium-bodied beer with a great pour and a lot of detectable citrus notes. Oskar also brought in their Mama’s Little Yella Pils, a popular and refreshing pilsner.

As usual, the Taproom had a good diversity of IPAs, sours, stouts, barley wines, pilsners and Belgian-style ales throughout Saratoga Beer Week.

The neighboring Belgian gastropub Merry Monk had a big week after recently winning the People’s Choice Award during the 2014 Chowderfest.

“It’s great to see the Merry Monk become a regular destination point for the beer lovers of Saratoga, and the capital district area, in general,” bartender Dennis Oakley said.

Last Tuesday, the Monk brought in Piraat, a Belgian-style pale ale out of Van Steenberge Brewery in Belguim. Wednesday, the Monk featured Goose Island’s Matilda, a world-class Belgian pale ale, as well as Sofie, a farmhouse ale, pairing the draft selections with various cheeses. On Friday, La Chouffe, a Belgian pale ale and McChouffe, a Scottish strong ale collaboration both from Brasserie d’Achouffe of Belgium went on draft. The two beers will also be featured for their upcoming St. Patrick’s Day event.

Druthers currently has a delicious smoked witbier, as well as a barley wine that is dangerously smooth at 12.7 percent ABV. The popular brewpub offered beer dinners and pairing events throughout the week.

Wheatfield’s restaurant had a Brown’s tap takeover last Tuesday, the only one in town coming by way of the Troy brewery.

Caroline St. Pub featured Adirondack Brewery and Desperate Annie’s put on a variety of Harpoon drafts.